The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee, organizer of the annual championship showcase, has struck a deal with media giant ESPN to expand the College Football Playoffs to 24 teams.
This new deal will double the number of participating teams in the playoffs and will begin with the 2027-28 campaign.
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It comes alongside a renewed partnership with ESPN, which will continue to broadcast CFP action through the 2031-32 season, retaining exclusive rights to the showcase in its new 23-game format and the rights to sublicense the rights at its discretion.
The renewed agreement, which adds five years to the existing deal, is reportedly worth close to $1.7 billion, adding an extra $345 million per year for the expanded game slate.
Speaking on the announcement, CFP executive director Rich Clark said: “We are also thrilled to continue our broadcast partnership with ESPN, which has been a terrific partner of the CFP since its inception.
“We know that level of excellence will continue as we embark on this journey to a 24-team format. We'd like to thank our media advisors at CAA for their work and support in getting this agreement completed. This would not have been possible without their guidance and expertise.”
While a strong deal for ESPN and CFP, the new agreement is not universally liked.
The biggest fallout is the fact that CFP expansion will eliminate championship games for the ‘Power 4’ elite college conferences, the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, while other, lesser conferences may also choose to eliminate their championship games, though it is discretionary.
While this no doubt increases the value of the CFP and opens up more opportunities for teams to qualify, critics suggest that it reduces the importance of conference play to little more than a scheduling agreement, impacting historic rivalries and harming the intrigue of the matchups by removing jeopardy from any potential losses.
In fact, the CFP said in its statement that this deal encourages colleges to schedule “more compelling non-conference games,” which illustrates that the allure of high-profile matchups for rights holders now exceeds that of traditional in-conference games.
